Irritating bank fees to avoid

PHOENIX - Banks have some of the most annoying fees that you may not even be aware of.

However, according to consumer advocate Andrea Woroch, you really need to educate yourself so you know what to expect.

For example, do you want to leave your bank? Well, you could pay a fee to close your account. Closing your account six months or less after opening it can cost you a $20 fee.

Not to mention there are now fees to use your debit card.

Bank of America will start charging $5 a month just for you to use your debit card. Wells Fargo is testing a $3 monthly debit charge in five states and other banks are as well.

Did you lose your card? Replacing your debit card could cost you $5.

Banking online might be convenient, but it also can be cheaper. That's because some banks are charging paper statement fees just for mailing your statement to your home.

Need a copy of a cancelled check? Well if you don't bank online you'll need to pay around $25 just obtain one measly cancelled check.

Believe it or not, there's also the spare change fee. Saving all that pocket change for a rainy day is a great idea, but if you ask your bank to count and convert it to cash, the bank will take 5 percent of your money.

This of course is in response to Washington telling consumers they were going to help consumers by cracking down on banks. When they did, banks came up with these other fees to make up for any losses they may suffer.